Ferdikaffldo tommasi



F. TOMB/[ASLv Galvanic-Battery.

No. 227,076. PatentedlApril 27,1880.

y wg a?? UNITED STATES PATENT Ori-TCEe FERDINANDO TOMMASI, 0F PARIS,FRANCE.

GALVANIC BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 227,076, dated April2'7, 1880. Application filed January 10, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FERDINANDO Toi/nvrAsI,

of Paris, in the Republic of France, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Electric Batteries; and I hereby declare that thefollowing is a description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in what are known asdouble-liquid77 batteries, and especially to that known as the Bunsen 7battery, whereby I am enabled to obtain a battery capable of operationwith a perfectly regular intensity during an unlimited time, but whichwill not waste its materials when not in operation.

My invention consists in a special construction of the elements of thebattery.

A reservoir or supply-fountain containing` water acidulated to thesuitable degree is placed at the exterior of the box which contains theelements of the battery, in order that a small stream of fresh liquidmay constantly be received in the first cup of the series to replace thewaste liquid which escapes by the overflow of the last cup, which passesto the outside of the'box. I employ, also, special means, which will behereinafter described,

for maintaining for a long time the amalga-` mation of the Zinc and forrenewing the nitric acid in the porous cups.

Figure l is a vertical section of one element of a battery illustratingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a plan, on a smaller scale than Fig. l, showingthe connection of three such elements in one battery. Fig. 3 is anelevation corresponding with Fig. 2.

The exterior cups, c, of earthenware or other impermeable material,which contain the water acidulated with sulphuric acid have their lowerparts, from the bottom about half-way up, of a smaller diameter than theupper parts, as shown in Fig. l, in order that they may be introducedinto a box in which a shelf, b, is furnished with holes to receive thesaid cups and support them in such manner that they do not touch thebottom of the box.

The siphons c, which form communications between each cup a and the nextcup on either side of it, are furnished with india-rubber bulbs cattheir forks, and they are turned up at the vbottom in such manner asto prevent them from discharging themselves.

The cylinder of zinc d, contained in each of the said cups, occupiesonly the upper part thereof, of which the diameter is greater. It may befixed, if desired, against the wall of the cup by the aid of animpermeable cement. The cylinder is beveled externally in conical forniat its upper end, in order to furnish between its circumference and theupper edge of the cup a channel, into which is placed quicksilver e,which maintains the amalgamation. It rests also in a circular channelwhich is full of quicksilver e', which contributes also to maintainingthe amalgamation.

The porous cup f, which contains the nitric acid, and in which isplacedthe carbon, is covered on the bottom and about half-way up itssides with a coating of enamel, g, which may be applied eitherexternally, as shown, or internally, and a similar coating is appliedupon its upper part, which is situated above the level of the acidulatedwater in the outer cup, c. This cup, of which the porosity only existsat and near the middle part of its height, has a cover, k, of porcelain,which is secured to it by clamps, and through which passes ademicylinder of carbon, h, which is composed of twoor more pieces, asmay be seen in the drawings, in order to present more surface of contactto the nitric acid, and which, occupying nearly half the height of thecup, is opposite the porous unenameled portion thereof.

Within the porous cup j', and capable of being raised and loweredtherein by a rod, j, from the exterior, is a plunger, i, of porcelain orother. material not capable of being destroyed or corroded by the acid.In order that this plunger may displace a large quantity of the liquidin the cup j', it is shown of semicylindricalt'orm, conforming to thecarbon h. By lowering this plunger the acid in the cups j' will becaused to rise therein and immerse the carbon, while, on the contrary,by raising this plunger into the upper part of the cup, where it will beside by side with the carbon h, the acid will be allowed to descend intothe lower enameled part of the cup, where it will not be in contact withthe carbon, and will not have any communication with the sulphuric acidof the exterior cup. The battery IOO then ceases to operate and no wasteof the material takes place. To cause it to operate again it is onlynecessary to lower the porcelain plunger into the lower part of the cup.

It will be seen that the porous cup f, being enameled and impermeableabove the level of the liquid in the exterior cup, a, and the cover 7cbeing equally impermeable, the escape of dangerous or disagreeablenitrous fumes is prevented.

The cover 7s has a hole closed by a glass stopper, and intended toprovide for the introduction of nitric acid into the porous cup by meansof a funnel, when necessary; or the cover itself might be made concave,like a funnel, to facilitate the introduction of the acid, and thecover-clamps may be arranged in such manner that they may be protectedfrom the acid.

The upper part of the porous cup f, which is enameled, and which isabove the level of the liquid in the exterior cup, serves to keep storedup a certain quantity of nitric acid, which descends little by little,and is used as required during the operation of the battery.

ln case the battery is composed of several elements and it may bedesired to raise together all the porcelain plun gers, the several rodsj may also be connected with one horizontal lifting-bar, jt, or they maybe all suspended from two racks worked by pinions on a shaft furnishedwith a crank.

ln Figs. 2 and 3 there is represented a tube, t, which constantlysupplies the acidulated water as fast as required, from a suitablereservoir, to the iirstof the cups ma of the series, whence itcirculates to the others of the said cups, so as to be kept at the samelevel in all through the siphons c c. The last cup is furnished with anoverlow-pipe, l, for the waste liquid, and also with a discharge-cock,m, to provide forletting out all the liquid from the wide upper partsot' the several cups a a, and so leave the zines dry when the battery isnot desired to operate.

rlhe cups aj' and the zines d, instead of being ot' circular form, asrepresented, may be of oval or square form, the carbons h and plungers ibeing of corresponding form.

I claiml. The combination, with the outer cup, a, of a double liquidbattery having its upper part larger than its lower part, and havingwithin it, above and around its smaller lower part, a channel forcontaining quicksilver, of

the zinc d, having its lower edge adapted to enter the said channel tomaintain its amalga- FERDINANDO TOMMASI.

Witnesses:

J. A. DI BRAAM, Pozzo DI BORGO.

